OC Today WWW.OCEANCITYTODAY.COM
JANUARY 25, 2019
SERVING NORTHERN WORCESTER COUNTY
LIFESTYLE
DELMARVA BIRDING
Assortment of trips and activities planned this weekend in Maryland and Delaware– Page 27
FREE
Fight for $15 minimum pay pushed in Md. State legislators revive bill which failed to pass in ‘18
LISA CAPITELLI/OCEAN CITY TODAY
FROZEN TUNDRA Icicles form under the pier at Northside Park on 125th Street in Ocean City and the bay was a sheet of ice during the bitter cold blast on Monday.
Post-Labor Day school could end Legislation would empower counties to pick start dates By Greg Ellison Staff Writer (Jan. 25, 2019) The Maryland public schools post-Labor Day start mandate, which Gov. Larry Hogan approved by executive order in Aug. 2016, could be effectively repealed during the General Assembly 2019 Session
by proposed legislation granting jurisdictional discretion in establishing academic calendars. Sen. Paul Pinsky (D-22, Prince George’s County) and Sen. Nancy King (D-39, Montgomery County) introduced twin bills before the Education, Health and Environmental Affairs committee last Friday that would empower county school boards to set start/end dates for public schools with-
out State Board of Education approval. SB128, sponsored by Pinsky, requires county school boards to set start and end dates for public schools within their jurisdictions, and authorizes each to extend the school year up to five days without state oversight. SB131, sponsored by King, would permit the up to five-day school year extension after June 15. See STATE Page 5
By Greg Ellison Staff Writer (Jan. 25, 2019) Maryland’s “Fight for Fifteen” Minimum Wage Bill, which failed to clear committee hearings last year, has been revived for the 2019 General Assembly session by lawmakers intent on boosting the state’s bottom pay rate to $15 per hour by 2023. Critics, however, argue that House Bill 166/Fight for Fifteen, introduced by sponsor Del. Diana Fennell (D-47, Prince George’s) before the House Economic Matters Committee on Wednesday, would economically devastate small business operators and tip-based employees, which could prove especially impactful in this area. Sen. Cory McCray (D-45, Baltimore City) previewed the resurrected “Fight for $15” campaign during a press conference in Annapolis last Monday. Echoing the legislative push last year, HB 166 would raise the minimum wage to $11 per hour later this year, and then add $1 each year until reaching $15 in 2023. Greater Ocean City Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Melanie Pursel, while highlighting the economic diversity among state jurisdictions, noted the concern within the service industry regarding pay increases. “We don’t want to be discriminatory, but we want to be practical … and not have it impact business enough … to cut back on hiring and hours,” she said. “What we’re afraid of is it’s actually going to be a job loser.” In 2014, the General Assembly approved legislation that raised the state minimum wage rate from $7.25 to $8 an hour, effective Jan. 2015, then to $8.25 in July 2015, followed by $8.75 in July 2016 and $9.25 in July 2017, See MARYLAND Page 7